


IXX. Thomas and Philip lie on the Bed

by causeimdifferent



Series: Wanted [19]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Love, M/M, Romance, happiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-24
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-10 06:00:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2013729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/causeimdifferent/pseuds/causeimdifferent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Philip worships Thomas's belly.<br/>Thomas caresses Philip's hair.</p><p>There are bites and nibbles,<br/>tickles and tingles.</p><p>And quite a lot of words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	IXX. Thomas and Philip lie on the Bed

„Here, that is the most tender spot.“

Philip’s fingertips brush along the inside of Thomas’s naked upper arm.

Thomas cringes. “It tickles.”

Philip plants a kiss to where his fingertips just left.

 

Dim light on the nightstand, humid summer air wafting through open windows, bringing stickiness to their skin.

They lie on Philip’s bed, half-dressed. Trousers, no shirts.

Thomas reclining on his back, hands behind his head.

Philip resting on his side, his right arm propped up. The fingertips of his left hand trailing along the midline of Thomas’s abdomen.

“Besides your cock, of course.”

Thomas draws a sharp breath.

Philip leans over Thomas’s stomach to kiss the spot right below the belly-button.

“Mmmmm”, he murmurs into the soft, hairy flesh, then takes a playful bite: “rrrrr!”

Making Thomas laugh out loud.

For the first time since … oh he forgot when.

Thomas has been smiling an unusual lot, lately. Since his reunion with Philip, to be exact.

But laughed out loud?

Yes, that’s definitely been a while.

 

Philip looks up at him with undisguised affection.

“I love to see you laugh.”

He sinks his teeth into Thomas’s skin to take another tender bite.

“Ow”, Thomas winces on a whim.

“And you have the most exquisite belly in the world.”

“As if you knew all the bellies in the world”, Thomas chuckles.

"I know the best when I see it.”

Another nibble.

“And taste it.”

Philip rests his head between Thomas’s navel and his crotch.

“And feel it.”

Looking up at Thomas, he says:

“It is the most comfortable pillow in the world. I bet I have enchanting dreams sleeping like this.”

 

Thomas’s hands vanish in Philip’s hair.

“It used to be fuller”, Philip sighs, “Lost a lot over that ghastly grub in prison. It’ll grow back, eventually …”

“Soft like silk, the barber says.”

Philip’s face turns serious.

“You remember me saying that?”

“Sure do. Besides: It is true.” Thomas says, his fingers combing Philip’s hair.

“I remember a lot of things. I kept those good memories to comfort me when things got rough. Like In the trenches, when I was scared to death and couldn’t fall asleep.”

_Are that tears in your eyes?_

“I’ve put my memories of us in a box and hid them in the attic”, Philip mumbles. “Managed to convince myself they didn’t mean a thing."

He snorts with disbelief.

"Until I went to gaol. There it burst open, that box, I mean. At last. Was high time. I'd been so adept in self-betrayal. Wasn’t too hard, though. Keeping myself busy all those years the way I did.”

“Living the married life and all.”

"Worst decision of my life. Besides dumping you. You know, I believe in a way I was pushing things to the limit, just to get out. I was so tired of the charade, the make-believe … .”

“I can imagine. Perhaps I messed up, too, because I wanted out.”

“Didn’t quite work out, eh?”

_Well … at least no more drama about Jimmy – for the time being._

“Hmh”, Thomas mutters.

 

He’d prefer not to think of Jimmy Kent for a while.

After roaming the streets the last three nights in a row in areas of the city Thomas should better not be seen in.

Looking for Jimmy, asking for Jimmy.

When a call at the Anstruthers revealed to him, what he had feared it would: No, they were not hiring. No, they had not taken Jimmy on. And no, they did not know his whereabouts.

“Thomas, he is not 14, like you were back then. He is a grown man, who needs to take responsibility for his decisions”, Philip said, when Thomas told him.

 

“A pity, actually, you kept your job”, Philip murmurs. “I was looking forward to you moving in with me.”

“As if”, Thomas says.

“I mean it. People do it. They don’t advertise it. But it is possible.”

“You got in trouble before.”

“Yes, but that was different.”

“How?”

“I was reckless. I made the wrong friends – and the wrong enemies. I’m wiser now, believe me. As tough as those past three years were, they taught me aplenty.”

 Thomas’s palm cups Philips cheek, his thumb travels across his lips.

Philip snaps at it in jest. Thomas escapes, just barely.

 

“Was it very bad? Prison?”

“Yes.”

Philip turns his attention back to Thomas’s stomach. The tip of his nose ghosting along the trail of dark hair vanishing underneath the waistband of Thomas’s trousers.

Making Thomas guts and cock all tingly. A moan escapes his lips.

“I love your scent. I’ve never told you, but …”

Philip stops, embarrassed.

“But what?”

“Never mind.”

“Come on. Tell me.”

“You’ll laugh.”

“Didn’t you just say you love to see me laugh.”

“Alright.”

Philip presses another kiss into Thomas’s softness.

“To me you smell of … home”, he mumbles into the silky hair.

Thomas cringes at what those words do to his insides.

“I knew you’d laugh.”

“I wasn’t laughing”, Thomas’s voice is raw.

_That’s what I think when I smell your hair._

“Not at all.”

Philip smiles. Not his flashing knock-you over smile.

But a quiet smile. Shy and relieved.

_Don’t think I’ve ever seen that one before._

“Why are you’re giving me such a hard time to dislike you”, Thomas growls.

“You have an odd way to show affection.”

“I was quoting you.”

“I know. And I was quoting _you_.”

“You do remember when you said that to me?”

“As if it happened just yesterday, yes”, Philip says, “It was the moment I realized, that I didn’t want to let you go ever.”

“You’ve been smothering me with more kindness in the past hour than I’ve received in my entire life.”

“Then it is about bloody time.”

Thomas draws Philip up to him, so that they lie chest-on-chest, Philip’s head resting on Thomas’s shoulder.

They fall into silence.

Still and brimming all at once.

Thomas closes his arms around Philip and snuggles his face into his hair.

_Home._

 

“Promise me one thing, Philip”, Thomas finally says.

“Tell me.”

“Promise me, you are not playing me. I ... couldn’t take it one more time.”

“I promise.”


End file.
